Chapter 11
CORBIN
It seemed utterly ironic, the damn fate. Just as I arrive at my office, she quits, and I find Ben sitting in one of my armchairs, with two yellow envelopes on my desk. One of them would tell me who my next target would be; the other, which should have been left by John, would tell me who Maddie was. After a long day with her, the last thing I wanted was to open that damn envelope.
"Good to see you, kid," Ben greets me as he walks in.
"Same here. I assume everything is ready for my next job."
"Oh, yes. There it is."
"This will be the last one, Ben, remember that. I want to move on with my life and do something good for once in my damn existence."
Ben bursts out laughing. He was a tall guy, with tanned skin and a muscular build, and green eyes. His body was covered in tattoos that he hid under a three-piece black suit. The beard he wore gave him a menacing look to those who didn't know him.
"And you will, kid. You have my word. You know I never go back on it. You also know this is a world you can't escape once you're in it."
"Yeah, I know. But I also know that just because someone wants out doesn't mean I'm going to stop looking over my shoulder. Never. For now, I need to rest before dealing with everything else. I've had a long day."
"Well, in that case, I'll take my leave. I helped John with the information you needed. Let me know when everything is ready."
I say goodbye with a hug, and then he leaves. When I finally sit down and relax, Tara walks in. Just the person I didn't want to see today, or ever.
"Cor, we need to talk!"
"No, Tara, we don't need to talk," I mockingly sing back, echoing her tone.
She raises one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows at me.
"I think otherwise. I want to tell you that we need to get rid of that useless little girl. She left without saying anything and left the job hanging."
I take a deep breath, Corbin, to avoid grabbing her by her tiny neck and strangling her.
"Tara, dear. Do I need to remind you who the damn boss is here?" I say, leaning back in my chair and placing my elbows on the table. I rest my chin on my clenched fists and watch her defiantly.
"I... I."
"You nothing. You have no right to walk into my office and demand that I throw someone out, or if... you."
"Corbin, I... It wasn't my intention."
"Enough, Tara. I want you to pack your things and leave."
"Are you firing me?" She knew she was foolish, but not deaf.
"Yes, Tara. That's exactly what I'm doing."
I quickly scribble a check and place it on the table. She grabs it and looks at me.
"Now get out, now!"
"You can't do this to me! You and I..."
"You and I, nothing. We've only hooked up a couple of times, that's it."
"Is that what you call what we had, hooking up?"
"I call it what it was..."
I pause and tilt my head with a new thought about her.
"Do you think that just because we hooked up, you have the right to give me orders?"
"I hate you, Corbin, I hate you!"
Yes, I was right. She believed that.
"I love you too."
Tara starts crying and runs out of my office.
(####)
After a while...
"John, I want you to know that I fired Tara. She is completely banned from the restaurant."
"That's fine, sir."
Sometimes it was easy for me to forget that John was only ten years older than me.
"One more thing, I'm going home; I have things to do. I want you to close up tonight."
"Sure. No problem."
I hang up the call and place my phone in the passenger seat as I continue driving. I can't help but glance now and then at the two envelopes haphazardly placed on the dashboard. For the first time in a long time, I was afraid to open one.
I had a hunch about all this; I didn't want her to be the person I was thinking of. Damn it! If I stayed away from her a long time ago, it was so she could live her life away from all the crap surrounding me.
Thirty minutes later, I stop my truck in front of the Victorian house complex where I live. I get out and walk straight to my house. I needed to unwind before I could face the yellow things I was now holding in my hands. I pull the key from my jeans and open the door, stepping inside and kicking it shut. I throw the envelopes on the countertop island, walk straight to the mini-bar, and pour myself a glass of whiskey; I down it in one gulp. I grab another and take it with me to the counter, setting it aside and staring at the surface.
"Well, Corbin, come on. Don't be a coward. You wanted this information, and now you have it."
I take the first envelope that says in bold black letters...
"PERSONAL INFORMATION"
I hesitate for a second, take another sip, and then open the damn envelope. I freeze when I see two photos of the same person, obviously altered, with different names. I read the report...
"Name: Sienna Maris/Maddison. (It's the fake name.)
Last Name: Green/Evans (Evans is her mother's surname.)
Age: 22.
Nursing degree."
I didn't need to read more. I couldn't believe that all this time I had been surrounded by Sienna. She had always been there in every damn moment. I felt like an idiot for being fooled by the person I had always loved and yet didn't recognize at first.
I laugh out loud, amazed at how clever she had been to infiltrate my life in that way without me realizing it. But what I couldn't understand was why she had done it, considering she had a nursing degree and could have gotten a better job in a hospital.
I was confused, furious, and at the same time, wanting... to kiss her, make love to her over and over until she begged me to stop. But none of that was going to happen because if she had entered my life this way, there had to be a reason, and I needed to find out what it was. Suddenly, the image of that child in the hospital came to my mind. I searched again in the report in my hand, looking for any information about the little one, but it was just junk. The child had her last name and was five years old, about to turn six. Obviously, she had moved on with her life and had a child. Why the hell would she come back to me after all this time?
I would have to confront her and demand an explanation for everything.